As part of our summer diversion we have been looking at various objects that carried the name Hotspur or Spurs. Last week it was trains.

A number of other ‘Hotspurs’ from shops to racehorses were mentioned in '1882 and All That.'

Today we take a short look at what was happening on the water.

The Royal Navy has had at least five HMS Hotspurs. The most famous is the one built in the 1930’s and served in the Second World War where she was badly damaged during an attack on Narvik, Norway. Later she helped defend Malta and is credited with sinking a German submarine and on another occasion rescuing 450 men from a sinking vessel.

Her last duties were in the Indian Ocean.

The vessel was sold to the Dominion Republic at which point the Bell was presented to the club and she was finally broken up in 1972.

HMS Hotspur - 1886

The Hotspur dates back to at least the 1870’s.

In 1878 she is recorded as being stationed at Gallopoli monitoring the movement of the Russian troops.

While on the way to her station she had gone to the assistance of another of the Navy’s ‘Ironclads’ which had run aground in bad weather.

Just in case that's fired your imagination you can buy an Airfix model of the 1930’s vessel. That will be included in the next toys special.

There has also been several fishing trawlers have carried the name Spurs. The Consolidated Fisheries out of Grimsby named their fleet after English teams. The first Spurs was launched in 1933 and cost £20,000. She also saw service in the war being commandeered by the Navy and re-christened HMS Spurs and took the role of an submarine vessel.

In June 1940 she was damaged at Dunkirk by enemy aircraft. After the war she was sold back to the fisheries.

We shouldn’t however forget writer C S Forrester and his hero Hornblower who served on the HMS Hotspur and defied Napoleon, (top image).